DISCOURSE: 1202
THE MERCY OF GOD
John 4:2. I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil.
IN the parable of the Prodigal Son, we read of as hateful a character as can well be imagined: it is that of the elder brother, who, instead of uniting with his family in rejoicing over the recovery of the younger brother from his evil ways, took occasion, from his father’s parental tenderness, to reproach him for partiality and unkindness; since, having “never rewarded his obedience with so much as a kid, he had killed for his prodigal and licentious brother the fatted calf [Note: Luke 15:29-30.];.” But a far worse character is portrayed in the history before us. Indeed, it is scarcely credible, that any person of common humanity, and still less that a good man, should be capable of acting as Jonah did; even reproaching God to his face for the exercise of his mercy towards a repenting people, and making his very anticipation of that mercy a ground and an excuse for his own wilful disobedience. But, beyond all doubt, the history of Jonah records a literal fact, without any exaggeration or poetical embellishment: he did, as he informs us, “know God to be a merciful God;” and he did make that very mercy a ground of wrathful indignation, and of acrimonious complaint.
The acknowledgment here made, will lead me to set before you the mercy of God,
I. As delineated by Jonah—
Jonah “knew” God to be a merciful God. He knew it,
1. From the description which God himself had given of his own character—
[In answer to the prayer of Moses, God had made his glory to pass before him; and had proclaimed his name, as “The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty [Note: Exodus 34:6-7.];.” Here, for one single expression relating to his justice, there is a vast accumulation of rich and diversified terms to convey to our minds a just idea of his mercy; all shewing, that “judgment is a strange act,” to which he is utterly averse; but that mercy is the attribute, in the exercise of which is all his delight [Note: Isaiah 28:21.Micah 7:18.];.]
2. From the marvellous display which had been made of it, throughout the whole of his dealings with his people in all ages—
[Scarcely had the people been brought out of Egypt, before they made a golden calf, and worshipped it as the author of their deliverance. This greatly incensed God; and determined him to cut them off, and to raise up to himself another people from his servant Moses: but, at the intercession of Moses, he forgave them, and “repented of the evil which he had thought to do unto them [Note: Exodus 32:9-14.];.” So, throughout all their stay in the wilderness, and in all their rebellions after their establishment in Canaan, he manifested the same compassion towards them; as David informs us: “Many times did he deliver them: but they provoked him with their counsels, and were brought low for their iniquity. Nevertheless, he regarded their affliction when he heard their cry: and he remembered for them his covenant, and repented according to the multitude of his tender mercies [Note: Psalms 106:43-45.];”
Well, therefore, might Jonah say, “He knew God to be a merciful God;” the very existence of his nation, after such long-continued and aggravated offences, being an ample proof of it.]
But my chief object is, to open to you the mercy of God,
II.
As illustrated in the history before us—
View it,
1. In the preservation of Jonah himself—
[God commanded Jonah to go to Nineveh, and to proclaim to them his determination to destroy the inhabitants thereof for their iniquities; and to inform them, at the same time, that the judgment should be executed within the short space of forty days. Jonah, averse to execute the commission, fled from the presence of the Lord, and took ship, in order to go to Tarshish [Note: John 1:3.];. Commentators have invented I know not how many apologies for Jonah: for instance, that he was actuated by a jealousy for the honour of his own nation: for Nineveh, being a city of Gentiles, he thought that the going to prophesy to them would be to transfer to them an honour due to Israel alone. Others suppose that he was impelled rather by fear; since, to deliver so awful a prophecy, could not but involve him in great danger. But the real ground of his disobedience was, that which he himself acknowledges: “He knew God to be a merciful God:” and he was afraid that the people would repent; and that God, on account of their repentance, would forbear to execute his threatened judgment upon them: and that thus he himself would, eventually, be made to appear a false prophet [Note: ver. 2.];.
Whilst he was going to Tarshish, he was overtaken with a storm, which reduced the ship to such extreme danger, that all the mariners betook themselves to prayer, as their only refuge. The thought occurring to their minds, that possibly the storm might have been sent as a punishment of some great offence, they drew lots, in order that they might find out the offender: and the lot falling upon Jonah, he confessed his sin, and counselled them to cast him overboard, as the only means of pacifying the offended Deity, and of saving their own lives. Thus did judgment overtake Jonah, precisely as it had overtaken Achan in the camp of Joshua: and, like Achan, he might well have been summoned into the presence of his God. But, lo! God had prepared a great fish to swallow him up, not for his destruction, but preservation: for he preserved him alive three days and three nights in the fish’s belly; and caused the fish to carry him to the shore nearest to Nineveh, and to cast him on shore without any injury to his body; yea, and with unspeakable benefit accruing to his soul: nay, more; his offended God not only spared him thus, but made him in this way one of the most eminent types of Christ that ever existed in the world.
Now, if Jonah knew before that God was merciful, how fully must he have known it now! Here was a mercy so extraordinary in its kind, so blessed in its results, and so marvellous, as being vouchsafed to him in the midst of his most impious rebellion, that it may well be adduced as one of the most astonishing displays of mercy that have ever been vouchsafed to man from the foundation of the world.]
2. In the sparing of the whole city of Nineveh—
[The inhabitants of that immense city, the capital of the Assyrian empire, had filled up the measure of their iniquities [Note: John 1:2.]. But, on the very first announcement of the impending judgments, they fasted and mourned, and cried mightily to God for mercy [Note: John 3:4-8.].—they had heard from Jonah nothing but the simple declaration, that in forty days the whole city should be overthrown. No hope of pardon had been held out to them; no idea had been suggested, that penitence, however deep or universal, would be of any avail: but they said, “Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not [Note: John 3:9.]?” And upon this mere presumption they ventured to cry for mercy. And, behold, how graciously God listened to their prayers! No sooner did he see them turning from their evil ways, than he “repented of the evil that he said he would do unto them; and he did it not [Note: John 3:10.].” This was the very issue that Jonah had anticipated. And what an encouragement does it afford to every living man, to humble himself for his iniquities, and to implore mercy at the hands of this gracious God!
But that to which I desire chiefly to direct your attention, is God’s mercy,]
3. In the enduring with such inconceivable forbearance the expostulations and remonstrances of this impious man—
[This act of mercy towards Nineveh, so far from exciting joy and gratitude in the bosom of Jonah, filled him only with wrath; yea, with such ungovernable wrath, that he broke forth into reproaches against God himself, on account of it. Whilst he was in the whale’s belly, he had repented; but now all his repentance had vanished, and he even vindicated before God the rebellion of which he had been guilty: and pleaded his anticipation of this very event, as a justification of it: “I pray thee, Lord, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish.” He even went further, and “prayed to God to take away his life;” for that, since he must appear to that people as a false prophet, “it were better for him to die than to live [Note: ver. 3.].” How astonishing was it, that God did not strike him dead upon the spot! All the mercy that had been vouchsafed to himself, Jonah had quite forgotten. It was nothing now that he had been preserved alive in the belly of the whale, and been cast uninjured upon the dry land: no, his honour was assailed; and every consideration of gratitude for his own mercies, and of compassion for above a million of souls that had been spared, was swallowed up in the apprehension that he should suffer in his credit, by reason of the revocation of God’s threatened judgments. And behold how God deals with this daring transgressor! He calmly asks him, “Dost thou well to be angry [Note: ver. 4.]?” And when the sullen rebel goes out of the city, and sits down in earnest hope that he shall see the whole city destroyed, God takes yet further means to convince him that his anger was unreasonable, and his complaint unmerited. Truly, Jonah, thou hast given occasion for such a display of God’s mercy as thou thyself couldst not previously have conceived to be within the reach of possibility, or to be consistent with the other perfections of the Deity!]
O, Brethren, let us see in this history,
1.
What monuments of mercy we ourselves are—
[Who amongst us has not rebelled against the commands of God; and betaken himself to any place, any company, any employment, rather than fulfil the duties to which he was averse? Who amongst us has not betrayed a sad indifference to the welfare of his fellow-creatures; seeking his own ease, his own interest, his own honour, when he should have been labouring rather for the salvation of those to whom he might have gained access for their good? And who has not grievously overlooked, or with base ingratitude forgotten, the deliverances that have been vouchsafed to him, even from diseases or accidents that have been fatal to others, and that might have had a fatal issue with him also? Aye, who has not been unmindful even of that wonderful redemption which God has vouchsafed to us, through the death and resurrection of his only dear Son? — — — I may add, too, who amongst us, when crossed in any particular object that has affected his interest, and especially his honour, has not been so vexed, as to murmur, if not directly against God, yet indirectly, being irritated against those who were the means and instruments which he employed in the dispensation that we complained of? Possibly, under some grievous trial, where our pride has been wounded, we have even wished ourselves dead, when, alas! we were far from being in a state to appear before God. Yet, notwithstanding all our provocations, here we are still on mercy’s ground, when we might well have been made monuments of God’s righteous displeasure! Truly, then, we may say to God, “I know that thou art a gracious God, and merciful; yea, I am myself a living witness that thou art slow to anger, and repentest thee of the evil.” Yes, my dear brethren, flagrant beyond conception as was the impiety of Jonah, we, methinks, are not the persons to throw a stone at him; every one of us having indulged too much of the same spirit as he, and trodden too much in his steps. We should rather take occasion, from what we have seen in him, to humble ourselves before God; and, from the mercies vouchsafed to him, to adore our God for the mercies vouchsafed unto ourselves.]
2. What encouragement we have to return unto our God—
[If there were a mere peradventure only that we might obtain mercy from God, that alone were a sufficient encouragement to humble ourselves before God. So the Prophet Joel, using the very words of my text, informs us [Note: Joel 2:12-14. Cite the words.]. Are there, then, amongst us those who are altogether ignorant of God, like the devoted Ninevites? I say, Humble yourselves before God, and you shall find mercy at his hands, especially if you seek it in the name of his only dear Son Jesus Christ — — — Or is there any professor of godliness, who, like the Prophet Jonah, has given way to sin, and grievously dishonoured his holy profession? To such an one would I say, Abase yourself before God in dust and ashes. We are not, indeed, told that Jonah repented, and was forgiven; but we have reason to hope that this was the case, from his being called “the servant of God [Note: 2 Kings 14:25.]:” and if he was forgiven, who has any reason to despair? Me-thinks I see one even in as vile a spirit as he; and yet I hear God addressing him in these tender terms: “How shall I give thee up, Ephraim? how shall I deliver thee up, Israel? how shall I make thee as Admah? how shall I set thee as Zeboim? Mine heart is turned within me: my repentings are kindled together: I will not execute upon thee the fierceness of mine anger [Note: Hosea 11:8-9.].” Indeed, indeed, Brethren, it will be your own fault, if any of you perish. “God willeth not the death of any sinner; but that he turn from his wickedness and live.” I beseech you all, therefore, whatever guilt you may have contracted, never to flee from God in despondency, but to go to him, in an assured hope that he is still as gracious as ever; and that, how abundant soever have been his mercies in the days of old, they shall be renewed to you the very instant that you cry to him in the name of Jesus, who “was delivered unto death for your offences, and rose again for your justification.”]